Self catering in Normandy

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Do you have any recommendations for a self-catering family holiday in Normandy this summer? My daughter, aged six, wants to be close to the beach; I want nice food and some (preferably pre-1939) history. We’ll drive and take the ferry across the Channel. The budget is tight.

Anthony Peregrine, France expert

I think your best bet is the Calvados coast, somewhere between Bayeux (not itself on the coast) and Trouville. The Cabourg district might be a good option. The beach and seafront are smashing for six-year-olds – and there are Belle Époque echoes for you. Cabourg was Proust’s “Balbec”; the writer was a regular at the Grand Hotel, which still rises rather splendidly there. To the east, you’ve a lovely coastal road to Deauville and Trouville – with their own pasts of parasols, boaters and more stylish summer holidays.

Further is Honfleur, as cute as a baby’s bonnet and jammed with memories, both maritime and artistic. Half the Impressionists hung out there (and the Normandy Impressionist Festival 2013 is in full swing throughout the summer). To the west are the D-Day beaches – liberated, partly at least, so that small children could freely frolic there, as they do. Obviously, there’s a lot of June 1944 history for you – but also plenty of earlier stuff. Bayeux is beautiful, and not just for the tapestry. It also has a D-Day museum. Caen has the two abbeys where William the Conqueror and his wife, Matilda, are buried.

Back closer to Cabourg, you’ll find the inland Auge area: gently gorgeous, Postman Pat country. Look out for Beuvron-en-Auge, Lisieux (with its monstrous basilica to Ste Thérèse), Livarot and tiny Camembert for cheese, and pretty much everywhere for all the cider and calvados you can manage.

Needless to say, the coastal towns – notably Trouville and Honfleur – are full of fine fish restaurants. Meat in creamy sauces isn’t hard to find, either. Put off the cholesterol check until you’ve been back a fortnight. For accommodation, try holidayfrancedirect.co.uk – the self-catering arm of Brittany Ferries. It has a splendid selection for most budgets.